Transcript of Bud Ballard and Bob McKay interviews

Rosetta: This is the Sounds of the Fair and we��re talking to Bud Ballard who’s been around here
for a long time. How long Bud?
Bud: Fourteen years.
Rosetta: Fourteen years.
Bud: Yes, ma’am.
Rosetta: You kind of started out here with this fair.
Bud: I did.
Rosetta: Well, what’s your responsibility? I notice a lot of people are running up to you, Bud.
Bud: Well, I’m in charge of the building and the maintenance, and the parking lot, everything
around here and I’ve been here for the fourteen years. Our first fair rodeo was the year after I
come. I had a lot of ground work to do the first year. Then we had our one day show which was
a huge, huge success. People were standing out here in the mall area, they couldn’t get in. And
we had a few, a few that volunteered to show for the fair but not very many. The next year we
had quite a few more, and the third year is when we really started in having our fair and getting it
going good.
Rosetta: And this is going to be a good year. This has been the Sound of the Fair. We’ve been
talking to Mr. Bud Ballard.
(Pause)
Rosetta: This is the Sounds of the Fair and we have Mr. Bob McKay with us who operates the
carnival known as …
Bob: We’ll this is McKay’s Intermountain Shows. We’re very proud. This will be our fourth
year here at Helena. The folks have always treated us real well and we believe we have one of
the finer carnival mid-ways in the northwest. We have some spectacular rides. We have the Big
Zipper which in my estimation is one of the most spectacular rides ever built.
Rosetta: What is it? Tell us about the Big Zipper.
Bob: You’ve just got to see it. It’s very hard to describe. It turns you everywhere but loose. It
doesn’t make you sick. It’s a very thrilling ride. We have the Trabot and a merry-go-round and
a huge Ferris wheel. Real fine complement equipment. You don’t have to go anywhere to any
state fair to find anything any better.
Rosetta: And games and goodies.
Bob: Oh, yes, the usually games, goodies, teddy bears. And people cart the prizes out of here by
the truck load it seems.
Rosetta: Thank you Mr. Bob McKay and this has been another Sound of the Fair.

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Interviewed by Rosetta Kamlowsky on August 1, 1974 for the Scooter radio show on KBLL radio. Sounds of the Fair interviewed Grounds Maintenance man Bud Ballard and owner of McKay’s Intermountain Shows carnival, Bob McKay

Creator

Ballard, Bud; Bob McKay

Type

Text

Language

eng

Date Original

August 1, 1974

Subject

Interviewing on radio--Montana; Lewis and Clark County Fair; County fairs; Carnivals

Rosetta: This is the Sounds of the Fair and we��re talking to Bud Ballard who’s been around here
for a long time. How long Bud?
Bud: Fourteen years.
Rosetta: Fourteen years.
Bud: Yes, ma’am.
Rosetta: You kind of started out here with this fair.
Bud: I did.
Rosetta: Well, what’s your responsibility? I notice a lot of people are running up to you, Bud.
Bud: Well, I’m in charge of the building and the maintenance, and the parking lot, everything
around here and I’ve been here for the fourteen years. Our first fair rodeo was the year after I
come. I had a lot of ground work to do the first year. Then we had our one day show which was
a huge, huge success. People were standing out here in the mall area, they couldn’t get in. And
we had a few, a few that volunteered to show for the fair but not very many. The next year we
had quite a few more, and the third year is when we really started in having our fair and getting it
going good.
Rosetta: And this is going to be a good year. This has been the Sound of the Fair. We’ve been
talking to Mr. Bud Ballard.
(Pause)
Rosetta: This is the Sounds of the Fair and we have Mr. Bob McKay with us who operates the
carnival known as …
Bob: We’ll this is McKay’s Intermountain Shows. We’re very proud. This will be our fourth
year here at Helena. The folks have always treated us real well and we believe we have one of
the finer carnival mid-ways in the northwest. We have some spectacular rides. We have the Big
Zipper which in my estimation is one of the most spectacular rides ever built.
Rosetta: What is it? Tell us about the Big Zipper.
Bob: You’ve just got to see it. It’s very hard to describe. It turns you everywhere but loose. It
doesn’t make you sick. It’s a very thrilling ride. We have the Trabot and a merry-go-round and
a huge Ferris wheel. Real fine complement equipment. You don’t have to go anywhere to any
state fair to find anything any better.
Rosetta: And games and goodies.
Bob: Oh, yes, the usually games, goodies, teddy bears. And people cart the prizes out of here by
the truck load it seems.
Rosetta: Thank you Mr. Bob McKay and this has been another Sound of the Fair.